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CHENNAI: With only two ODIs left on India's tour of Sri Lanka, soon the focus will be shifting to the longest format as the Men in Blue will be playing as many as ten Tests — five at home and five away — in the next six months.
While there is not much to worry about for the three Tests against New Zealand and the two-match series against Bangladesh at home, the tour of Australia, where India will play five Tests on the trot, could be tricky. That India have won the last two Test tours Down Under will only add to the pressure for Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir.
Among the many things they will have to figure out the pool of pacers India will need for the tour that will last almost two months. As things stand, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami are India's three frontline pacers with others coming in and going out based on the workload of the aforementioned trio.
Since the 2021 tour to Australia — where India had to use seven pacers in four matches including two debutants — only three fast bowlers have made their Test debuts; Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, and Mukesh Kumar, Then there are the likes of Avesh Khan, the recent Indian Premier League sensation Mayank Yadav and the white-ball star Arshdeep Singh.
Bharat Arun, who was with the Indian team during both the victorious tours Down Under, believes that India will need to have at least ten pacers ready to pick from for the Test series against Australia. "We have a healthy pool. We always had good fast bowlers, but I think how we manage them is even more important," said Arun on the sidelines of the Yanam Royals,one of the six Pondicherry Premier League teams, jersey launch event in Chennai on Saturday.
"If you are going to play five Test matches in Australia, you need at least six bowlers. Maybe three or four would be playing in the game, but then to keep them fresh for five Tests, you need to rotate among six bowlers. So to have six bowlers, you must work with 10 bowlers or a dozen bowlers. So is that being done? I think BCCI has a policy in place. They're calling all fast bowlers to work at the National Cricket Academy. So if that is happening, I think it's fantastic," he added.
Arun feels that the likes of Mayank, Avesh and even Arshdeep are there at the level, but it will come down to how prepared they are for the challenge. "Apart from those who are playing for India, you do have a good pool of bowlers who could really come to the party when it matters most. But how prepared are they? That's going to be the biggest challenge. Mentally, physically, and even tactically. They have the potential we need to prepare for that," said the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach.
When asked what is the key factor to be successful during a long Test series, Arun said that consistency during tough situations will be the deciding factor. "There will be tough situations in Australia, England, and South Africa. When you tour, it's not going to be easy but under duress how confident you are about your abilities. That's a huge ask. It's easier said than done. But I think how confident they are and how consistent they are would be the key to India doing well in Australia," he signed off.